‘Squad’ and ‘lunch’ have become common phrases among our student body. According to Urban Dictionary,  ‘squad’ is defined as “an informal group of individuals with a common identity and sense of solidarity.” ‘Lunch’ is not found in Urban Dictionary, but is commonly used to describe something or someone that is funny.

   “I first heard ‘squad’ from Waka Flocka Flame,” said senior Haider Bhatti.  Bhatti is infamous around the school for using this lingo, especially “squad”.

   “‘Squad’ is my favorite because I can use it in so many different aspects of my life,” said Bhatti.

  “I started using the words last year, but they didn’t start to catch on until this year,” said Bhatti.

  Students across the school have grown accustomed to these words.

   “I think they’re really amusing in a way for people to put a word in there when they don’t know what else to say,” said sophomore Spencer Buehler. While others might think that these phrases just came up this year, some know that they have actually been around for longer than they realized.  Buehler’s older brother, who graduated in 2011, used these words with his friends.

  “I remember when my brother and his friends used those words so much; it influenced me to start saying them in middle school even though nobody knew what they meant,” said Buehler.

  These words are not popular with everyone though.  Senior, “Cassidy Smith finds the word annoying, so I say it around her even more,” said Bhatti.

  “He doesn’t use it in moderation,” said senior Cassidy Smith, “ I want to drop out of school when I hear it.” Smith is obviously joking, but the dislike is palpable. Besides not being used in moderation, maybe it’s how loudly “squad” is used. Bhatti can be heard in the classrooms shouting “squad”, sometimes not even pronouncing the “d”, to anything that may get him and his friends excited.

  Bhatti also includes his friends in the fun of using the abstract vocabulary. “Once I began to start using the words, my ‘squadbois’ and I began to squad up frequently,” said Bhatti, which basically means once he started saying the words, he and his friends used them a lot.  That may be an odd thing to say for some people, but it makes sense if you are up to speed with the terms.

  The lingo may be a fad and annoying to some students and faculty but is a way for others to communicate in a different way. The words add some humor to everyday conversation. From ‘squad’ to ‘lunch’, the words range in meaning and can fulfill several emotions.  Maybe more words will be added next year but for now we just have to enjoy (or detest) our current slang.